Winter yields bounty of ice wine to be sampled during Ohio festival

Saturday

Feb 15, 2014 at 12:01 AMFeb 16, 2014 at 10:17 AM

MADISON, Ohio - Ohio's icy weather can do significant damage to delicate grapevines, especially in a winter like this when temperatures have plunged well below zero. But the frigid conditions are also necessary to produce a delightful delicacy known as ice wine, a sweet and fruity elixir that is made, by necessity, in tiny quantities from grapes that have been left to freeze on the vine.

Steve Stephens, Dispatch

MADISON, Ohio — Ohio’s icy weather can do significant damage to delicate grapevines, especially in a winter like this when temperatures have plunged well below zero.

But the frigid conditions are also necessary to produce a delightful delicacy known as ice wine, a sweet and fruity elixir that is made, by necessity, in tiny quantities from grapes that have been left to freeze on the vine.

Ice wine will be celebrated in northeastern Ohio at the 11th annual Grand River Valley Ice Wine Festival during the first three Saturdays in March from noon to 5 p.m. each day.

Patrons can visit six wineries hosting the event. Each winery will offer appetizers and ice-wine tastings as well as special events such as dog-sled demonstrations and ice-carving.

Although wineries get more visitors during warmer weather, winter holds its own tasting-room charms, said Donniella Winchell, executive director of the Ohio Wine Producers Association.

“There’s much more time for the winemaker to sit and have a glass of wine with you,” she said. “ It’s that kind of personal experience that you can’t get when there are crowds in summer or at harvest time.”

Many tasting rooms are warmed by a cozy fireplace and offer beautiful winter views.

Some wine drinkers also find winter to be the best season to enjoy red wines, “and Ohio is increasingly doing some good things with reds,” Winchell said.

But ice wines have been known to tempt the palates even of wine drinkers who favor the driest of reds.

Ice wines “give you something to celebrate this time of year and get rid of cabin fever,” said Cindy Lindberg, owner of Grand River Cellars, one of the wineries participating in the Ice Wine Festival.

To produce ice wine, grapes — usually the Vidal Blanc variety — are earmarked during harvest season, left on the vine and covered with protective netting. When the temperature falls to at least 17 degrees, the grapes are picked and pressed. They must remain frozen throughout the process. The icy conditions concentrate the sugar and fruitiness in the pressed juice and the wine.

“It’s a lot of fun — for the first 30 minutes,” Lindberg said.

And the process is also labor- and grape-intensive.

“Realistically, you only get a few drops from each berry,” she said.

The frosty weather this season was terrific for producing ice wine, she said.

“The actual ice-wine harvest was in early December. It was an amazing harvest — extremely bountiful.”

But then came trouble with the frigid temperatures of the polar vortex, Lindberg said.

“That did a lot of damage to the vines. We’re still waiting to see how much damage. If we have to replant, it takes three to five years for the vines to produce grapes.”

For now, though, the ice-wine celebration takes precedence over fears for the next crop.

Also participating in the festival are Chalet Debonne Vineyards, Ferrante Winery, Laurello Vineyards, St. Joseph Vineyards and South River Vineyards. Red Eagle Distillery will join the event this year by offering special cocktails in mini martini glasses.

Appetizers to be found along the way include ice-wine-infused chocolate fudge; pear, walnut and caramel tart; pepper and peanut biscotti; and Ohio apple and maple strudel.

In addition to the sled dogs and ice carvings, visitor can also see maple syrup demonstrations and special art and craft displays.

Grand River, Debonne and South River will host a Wine Country Progressive Dinner on the Friday evenings before festival days. The dinner will feature local meats, cheeses, breads, produce and desserts. Each course will be paired with a wine from the wineries.

Participating wineries started the dinner to highlight local food vendors and to entice visitors to stay overnight in the area, Lindberg said.

“We actually have some local gardening centers who have worked hard to produce fresh vegetables all year long,” she said.

The progressive dinners cost $49.50 per person, including tax and gratuity and require advance reservations.

sstephens@dispatch.com

@SteveStephens

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